Apparatus for cutting drill pipes



Oct. 10, 1950 w, -1'55 2,525,391

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DRILL PIPES Original Filed April 15, 1946 IN VEN TOR. W/zmm 5 5475! Patentecl Oct. 10, 1950 2,525,391 APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DRILL PIPES William F. Bates, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Edith L. ONeill, Los Angeles, Calif.

Continuation of application Serial No. 662,289, April 15, 1946. This application July 12, 1948,

Serial No. 38,320

9 Claims. (Cl. 51-'-8) This invention pertains to operations for cutting tubular members such as pipe, tubing or casing strings within oil, gas and other wells, and relates more particularly to a method and apparatus for cutting relatively small-diameter tubular members by means of abrasive liquid jets.

This application is a continuation of my 00- pending application Serial No. 662,289, filed April 15, 1946, now abandoned, entitled Apparatus for Cutting Well Pipe.

In operations connected with the drilling and maintenance of oil, gas and other Wells, many occasions arise on which tubular strings, such as casing, tubing or drill pipe strings must be cut in the borehole itself in order to be removed therefrom, as, for example, when a tubular string becomes stuck or frozen in a well. I

Such cutting operations may be carried out by means of various mechanical or hydraulic devices. Hydraulically operated tools, that is, tools designed to cut tubular members by means of jets of abrasive fluids directed at high velocities thereagainst are especially advantageous in view of their great efiectiveness combined with relative simplicity and ruggedness of construction and operation.

No difiiculties are usually encountered in cutting casing strings by means of such devices,

since the casing has a diameter amply suflicient to accommodate the jet-cutting device and the tubing string used for lowering said device into the casing and for supplying thereto the necessary abrasive fluid. I

Conditions are however much more diflicult when it is desired to cut, by means of abrasive jets, a tubular string of a relatively small diameter, such as a drill pipe, since no tubular strings capable of being inserted into the drill pipe are normally available at the well.

It is perhaps possible to lower a hydraulic cutting device into a drill pipe at the end of a string of a small-diameter tubular string known as macaroni tubing. Such procedure would however be quite complicated and expensive, in so far as the macaroni tubing would have to be especially brought to the well, lowered thereinto, pulled and laid down, and then hauled away. The fragility of the macaroni tubing requires furthermore special care in handling, thereby slowing down the operations and increasing their cost.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a cutting technique according to which a hydraulic cutting device is lowered onto a relatively small-diameter tubular well member at the end of a wire or cable line, and is then supplied with an operating abrasive fluid through the tubular member to be cut, whereby the necessity of an inner tubular string, insertable into the tubular member to be cut, is eliminated.

It is also an object of this invention to provide for this purpose a cutting device adapted to'be lowered into a tubular member in a well at the end of a wire or cable line and to be anchored therein by manipulation of said wire line from the surface.

It is also an object of this invention to provide for said purpose a device which can be lowered into a tubular member in a well on a wire-line. and anchored therein by means responsive to the momentum of said device, whereupon an abrasive fluid pumped from the surface through said tubular member is used to cause saiddevice to pack off said tubular member against axial flow, said fluid passing through said device and serving to cut the walls thereof by issuing at high velocity through the jet nozzles of the cutting device. It is also an object of this invention to provide for the above purpose a cutting device equipped with rotatable let nozzles actuated by the flow of the abrasive fluid supplied thereto for cutting purposes, said jet nozzles being relatively thrust free.

It is also an object of this invention to provide the necessary setting and retrieving tools for the above device, said device being however primarily adapted to be pulled from thewell together with the tubular member cut thereby, and therefore normally requiring no retrieving tool.

These and other objects of this invention will be understood from the following description taken with'reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic foreshortened vertical cross section view of the present'device.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a setting tool for the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a portion of the tool of Fig. 3 taken at right angles thereto.

Fig, 5 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of a retrieving tool for the device of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, the device of the invention comprises a tubular mandrel I having an axial bore or passage 2, a setting mechanism generally de- 3 signated as 3 for anchoring and sealing the device in a well, a rotor 4 and a bottom closure 5.

The mandrel I is flared at its lower end at Ill, as shown, and is internally threaded at II. The rotor #3 is rotatably supported between the mandrel l and the bottom closure 5, by means of upper and lower bearings 52 and l3,-'including races I l and ball bearings I 5, and by'means of an axial connecting member 16 extending through the rotor and in threaded engagement with the mandrel at H by means of a spider l1 and with the bottom closure 5 at I8 by means of a spider 19. Upper and lower packing rings 20 and 2| are also provided, as shown, to provide a fluid-tight seal between the mandrel and bottom closure and permitting flow of fluid only as and for the purpose described hereinafter.

The rotor 6, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, includes an open chamber or passage 26 and is provided with a plurality of transverse jet nozzles 2?, disposed equi-angularly about the rotor axis. The bottom closure 5 is provided with a central passage 28 having at itslower end a hollow plug 29 in threaded engagement therewith, the plug 29 being conical at 30 to provide avalve seat for a valve 3! which is resiliently urged to seating or closed position by means of a spring 32, as shown. A perforate filter or nipple 33 is also provided, as shown, being threaded onto the lower end of the plug 29.

It will be seen that, as the device is lowered into a well or casing, fluid in the well or casing can pass upwardly through the upwardly opening valve formed in the bottom closure 5, through the rotor 2- and through the mandrel I, but that when the device is suitably anchored andsealed 01f in a well as described hereinafter, and an abrasive fluid is supplied under pressure through the mandrel, the only egress for the fluid is through the jet nozzles 27, which are so disposed. that the jets of fluid issuing therefrom will rotate the rotor and will impinge upon a surrounding casing and cut the same. By reason of the open communication between the rotor 4 and, the bottom closure 5, the latter takes the end thrustof the cutting fluid, thus relieving the rotor of, this strain.

The setting mechanism 3 comprises a housing 38 concentric of the mandrel and the usual slips 3'1 having serrations 38. For purposes of assembly and disassembly the lower end of the housing 3'6 is provided with a closure- 39 in threaded engagement. with the housing, at 40, as shown, and the slips 37 are pivotally suspended from the closure 39 by means of links 4|. The slips ride in slots 42 formed in the sides of the conical portion I!) of the mandrel.

Disposed within the housing 36 concentrically of the mandrel is a compressor and. sealing member 43 provided with inner and outer packing or sealing rings 44 and 45. bearing, respectively, against the outer surface o'f. the. mandrel and the inner surface of the housing, as shown, to provide fluid-tight seals therewith but to permit relative movement of 'the compressor member. Disposed beneath the compressor member 43 is a powerful coil spring 46. The upper part of the compressor member is provided with stepped shoulders 41 and 48, and a cocking or trigger mechanism is also provided comprising cocking members or triggers'49 pivotally supported at 59 on a collar 5! threaded onto the upper end of the mandrel. The upper, outwardly inclined ends 56 of the triggers 49 extend upwardly and outwardly through windows 51 scribed hereinafter.

formed in a retrieving member 58 secured to the housing 36, thepurpose of the member 58 being described hereinafter. The lower ends 59 of the trigger are disposed to abut the upper shoulder l? of the compressor member when the trigger members are in the angular position shown, and thus to transmit the thrust of the spring 46 to the mandrel I. A shear pin- Bil is also provided, for a purpose described hereinafter, the pin 60 extending through a passage 6| extending through the wall of housing 36 and into a socket 62 formed in the compressor member. The housing 36 is also providedwith ports 63 and the mandrel I.

with companion ports 63a in alignment with the ports 63, the purpose of these ports being de- At its upper end, the housing 36 is provided with an annular packing member 64, such member tapering upwardly and extending radially outwardly as shown. Also, a setting cage 65 is provided, for a purpose described hereinafter, being secured to the collar 5|.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, there is shown a setting tool 66 comprising upper and lower jar members 6! and 68 coupled together for limited relative reciprocation. The upper member 67 is threaded at 69 to be attached to a complemental socket at the end of a cable, tubing string or the like (not shown) and it is also provided with a pin 70 adapted to engage, when the jar members are in collapsed position, the upper ends H of tongs l2 pivoted at 13 on the lower member 68. The lower ends of the tongs are hooked at 14; as shown.

Referring now to Fig. 5, there is shown a retrieving tool 853 tapered at its upper end and flared or beveled at its lower end-at a, as shown, and

provided with an internally threaded portion Bl I for reception of a male, threaded coupling member of a wire, cable, tubing string or the like (not shown) and with ports 82.. The retrieving tool 80 is also provided with windows 83 in its lower portion in each of which is a dog 84 pivotally supported at 85 and resiliently urged inwardly by a spring 86.

In operation the device of the invention functions as follows:

When it is desired to cut a tubular member within a well, the device is assembled at the surface by shouldering the lower'ends' 59 of the triggers 49 on the upper shoulder 41 of the compressor member 43, compressing'the spring 45 by moving the housing 36 upwardly relative to the compressor member and inserting the shear pin 60 as shown in Fig. 1. The hooked ends it of the setting tool 65 (Fig. 3') are then engaged with the setting cage 65, the jar member 67: is coupled with a flexible line, such as a wire or cable, and the whole device is lowered to the desired depth inside the tubular member to be cut. The check valve 55meanwhile allows free passage of the well fluid through the device while the latter is being lowered.

When the desired depth has been reached, the slips 3'! are released by. letting the device drop rapidly on the wire line through a short distance, and then suddenly applying the wire line brake. The momentum of the housing 36 causesit to continue moving temporarily downwardly while the compressor member is arrested, thus shearing the shear pin 69, causing the spring 46 to expand and forcing the slips 3'! downwardly and outwardly along the tapered guideways tZjuntil the slips are firmly engaged with the inner wall of the tubular member to be cut.

With the cutting device 'thus' anchored," the setting tool 66 is lowered on the wire line until the pin 70 engages the upper ends ll of the tongs I2 and forces them apart, thus causing the lower ends of the tongs to come together and disengage the setting cage 55. then removed, and a fluid, such as a drilling mud, preferably having abrasive particles admixed therewith, is pumped from the surface through the tubular member to be cut. This downwardly flowing fluid causes the packing member 64 to expand, thus sealing the annular space between the cutting device and the tubular member to be cut. The fluid is thus directed through the axial bore 2 of the mandrel l into the rotor l, thence through the jet nozzles 21, the valve 31 being operative to prevent fluid escaping through the bottom closure 5.

Due to the eccentric arrangement of the jet nozzles, whose axial lines are transverse in a horizontal plane to the radial lines passing through the axis of the device, a rotating motion is imparted to the rotor 4, which revolves rapidly on the bearings l2 and 53. The said bearings are not subjected to any appreciable end thrust,

which is taken by the end closure 5.

The jets issuing from the jet nozzles impinge against the tubular member being out, along a circular line, and the metal in the path of the jets is rapidly abraded, thus causing the tubular member to be cut along said circular line.

In normal operations, the tool, being anchored above the place where the tubular member is cut, is then pulled to the surface together with the cut portion of said member.

However, if for some reason the tubular member which has been cut cannot be pulled (as in cases where it is stuck above the cut), the present cutting device can be disengaged and lifted to the surface by means of the retrieving tool 80 shown in Fig. 5.

In such cases, the tool 80 is run into the tubular member in the well at the end of a cable, wire or tubing string until the dogs 84 slide past and engage an undercut collar 9-5 formed on the retrieving member 58. At the same time, the lower, flared rim 80a of the tool 88 engages and urges inwardly the upper ends of the triggers 49, thus disengaging them from the upper shoulder Ill and releasing the spring 46. The slips 31 are then disengaged from the casing by direct upward pull on the retrieving tool 80, and the cutting device is lifted to the surface, a free passage for the well fluid bein provided by bores of the retrieving member 58, the mandrel I and the ports 63 and 63a formed in the housing and mandrel walls, respectively, these ports being sealed during normal operation but being in communication when the spring 46 is free to urge the compressor member 43 upwardly.

It will thus be seen that a cutting device has been provided which is simple of design, efficient in its operation and operative to cut a casing rapidly and at any level desired; which can be firmly anchored and sealed off at-any desired level in a casing; and which allows upward flow of well fluid while being lowered intoa well, yet prevents outflow of fluid during the cutting operation except through the jet nozzles; and which relieves the rotor of end thrust.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The setting tool 68 is 6 Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. v A rotary cutting device comprising a tubular supporting member, having a central bottom closure member provided with an inwardly opening valve, and a rotor rotatably mounted and supported between said supporting member and bottom closure, said rotor communicating with said tubular memberand said bottom closure to provide a passage for fluid through said valve, bottom closure, rotor and supporting member as the device is lowered into a body of fluid, and said rotor also being provided with outwardly directed jet nozzles.

2. A rotary cutting device comprising a tubular supporting member, a rotor, a bottom closure having an inwardly opening valve and means for anchoring said device in a casing and sealing the same against the interior walls of the casing to provide a fluid-tight seal therewith, said rotor being rotatably mounted between and supported by said supportin member and bottom closure, communicating with said tubular member and bottom closure to provide a fluid passage for fluid through said valve, bottom closure, rotor and tubular member as the device is lowered into a body of fluid, and being provided with outwardly directed jet nozzles.

3. A device adapted to be anchored and packed ofi in a tubular member within a well for cutting said member, said device comprising a mandrel member having an axial bore therethrough, a closure member for the lower end of said bore, a rotor member mounted axially between said mandrel and closure members, said rotor having a bore in co-axial register with the mandrel bore and transverse jet nozzles in communication between said rotor bore and the outside of the device, and means comprising a connecting member extending centrally of said rotor bore in spaced relationship with the walls thereof, said member being affixed to the mandrel and to the closure members to hold them rigidly together, whereby the end thrust of the liquid delivered to the jet nozzles through the tubular member to be cut and said mandrel and rotor bores is taken up by said closure member. I

4. The device of claim 3, having a closure member provided with an axial passage, and one-way valve means in said passage, said valve means opening to upward fluid flow and closing to downward fluid flow.

5. A device adapted to be lowered into a tubular member within a well for cutting said tubular member, said device comprising an elongated mandrel member having an axial bore therethrough, slip means on said device for anchoring it in the tubular member to be cut, packing means on said device for sealing the annular space between said device and the tubular member to be cut, a closure member for the lower end of said mandrel bore, said closure member being axially spaced from said mandrel, a rotor member mounted between said mandrel and said closure members, said rotor having therethrough a bore in co-axial register with the mandrel bore, transverse jet nozzles on said rotor in communication between said rotor bore and the space outside the device, packing and bearing means between said rotor and said mandrel and closure members respectively, and means comprising a connecting member aflixed to said mandrel and to said closure members to hold them rigidly together, said connecting member extending centrally of the rotor bore in spaced relationship with the. wallsthereof, whereby the endthrust of the liquid delivered. to said jet nozzles through the member to be cutand said mandrel and rotor bores is taken upby said closure member.

6. A device adapted to be lowered into a tubular member. within a well for cutting said tubular member, said device comprising an elongated mandrel having an axialbore therethrough, a closure member .infixed relationship with the lower end of said mandrel, said mandrel and closure member being spaced from each other by an annular slot, a thrust-free rotor having therethrough a bore co-axial with said mandrel bore, said rotor being mounted intermediate said mandrel and said closure member and carrying a plurality of jet nozzles communicating between the-space within said bores and the space outside said device, said jet nozzles extending into said annular slot along lines transverse to the radial lines of said bores, whereby a rotational movement is imparted to said rotor when an abrasive fluid-is pumped down through said bores and jet nozzles against the inner walls of said tubular member to cut said member, and means comprising a connecting member afiixed to said mandrel and to said closure member to hold them rigidly together, said connecting member extending through the rotor bore in spaced co -axial relationship therewith, whereby the end thrust of the fluid issuing through the jet nozzles is applied to said closure member.

7. A device adapted to be lowered on a flexible line into a tubular member within a well to out said tubular member, said device comprising an elongated mandrel, means carried by said mandrel for afiixing it to a flexible line, slip means externally carried by said mandrel for anchoring said device in the tubular member to be cut, packing means externally carried by said mandrel for sealingthe annular space between said device and the tubular member to be out, said mandrel having an axial bore therethrough, a closure member in fixed relationship with the lower end of said mandrel, said mandrel and closure member being spaced from each other by an annular slot, a

thrust-free rotor having therethrough a bore oo-axial with said mandrel bore, said rotor being mounted intermediate said mandrel and said closure member and carrying a plurality of jet nozzles communicating between the space within said bores and the space out-side said device, said jet nozzles extending into said annular slot along lines transverse to the radial lines of said bores,

whereby a rotational movement is imparted to said rotor when an abrasive fluid is pumped down through said bores and jet nozzles against the innerwalls of said tubular member to out said member, and means comprising a connecting member-afiixed to said mandrel and to said 010- sure memberrto hold them rigidly together, said connecting member extending through the rotor bore in spaced co-axial relationship therewith, whereby the end thrust of the fluid issuing through the jet nozzles is applied to said closure member.

8. For use in cutting a tubular member positioned-in a well, a device adapted to be lowered into'said tubular member and to be raised therefrom by means of setting and retrieving tools operated on flexible lines, said device comprising a mandrel, means carried by said mandrel detachably connecting said mandrel to the setting tool; a cylindrical housing surrounding said tubular mandrel and adapted for a limited axial motion with regard thereto, means carried by said cylindrical housing detachably connecting said housing to the retrieving tool, external guideway means on said mandrel, slip means slidably engaging said guideway means, link means connecting said slip means with the housing, packing means carried by the housing sealingthe annular space between the housing and the tubular memher to be cut, jet nozzle means rotatably carried by the mandrel, and an axial bore through the mandrel in communication between said nozzle means. and the space within said tubular member above said packing means, whereby an abrasive fluid can be delivered from the surface tosaid rotatable jet nozzles throughthe tubular member to be cut and the bore through the mandrel.

9. The device of claim 8, comprising an annular space within the housing around the mandrel, spring means in said space, means for maintaining said spring means in compression, said means comprising an annular follower member and a shear pin connecting said follower member to the housing, and trigger means pivoted on the mandreland pressing against said follower member in opposition to the spring means, said trigger means being operable by the retrieving tool to vary the compressionof the spring after said pin has been sheared.

WILLIAM F. BATES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record file of this, patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS in the 

